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It's everything REBELLION should have been

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 80 / 100
Date: February 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lucasarts made their first stab at a Star Wars real-time strategy game in the late 90's with REBELLION (released in the UK as SUPREMACY), a mediocre game hidden beneath an absolutely horrendous interface. They followed that up soon after with FORCE COMMANDER, which was also disappointing. 2002 saw the release of GALACTIC BATTLEGROUNDS, the 3rd Star Wars RTS (real-time strategy) game, but it was essentially just an AGE OF EMPIRES total conversion.

This time, however, they got it right. This game is what REBELLION should have been. The concept is the same, however the interface is intuitive, the ground battles played out in real time, and with a much better space battle system. I'm not sure how fans of traditional RTS games will approach this one, but as a Star Wars fan I love it. It strikes the right balance of strategy and action. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of this game, but I've played enough of it to know that if you're a Star Wars fan, and you have any interest in a Star Wars RTS game, you're probably gonna love this.

Great RTS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 20
Date: February 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Star Wars Empire at War is a great RTS, one of the best in the last 5 years. Some basics about its game play are that it can be compared to such games as Comman and Conquer Generals and C&C Red Alert. It is basically the exact same game as Generals with just different units. In my opinion no RTS has lived up to C&C Red Alert and it's fast paced interesting gameplay, however this game is the best RTS since Red Alert came out around 2000.

My grades are...

Graphics B+

It's hard to expect great graphics from an RTS game but these graphics are hardly special. Some RTS's from 2000 even have better graphics. The units are not as great as they could look and the terrain is fairly boring because they apparently didn't put much time into detail.

Storyline/Campaign A+

Thanks to the Star Wars movies, the storyline is strong and interesting and will keep you glued to it to the very end. There is a lot of detail in this section of the game

Diversity A

There are a lot of units and vehicles that can be trained, as well as upgrades, buildings, and special attacks and weapons like bombing runs.

Accessability B+

The game takes a long time to understand the basics. I recommend the tutorial if you want to grasp the concept of the game quickly, however the tutorial is extremely boring and tedious and very time consuming, it can take upwards of 2 hours to finish. The game play can be hard to understand at times and it is not something that you can go right into and be a pro at.

Fun A-

It is fun and has great replay value, however most RTS's have a good replay value, this one is nothing special.

Overall A

The game overall deserves an A and is worth the money to buy, it definately is not the best RTS i've seen. It isn't very advanced either and easily could have been made many years ago. The thing I don't like the most is the speed of the game. It can be so slow at time, just like C&C Generals. I Might be used to the fast paced play of the red Alert RTS's but this still bothers me a bit.

Wow is just about all i can say....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: February 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is just about one of the most fun times i've had with any recent RTS games. The only other ones that i would consider as good as this one would have to be Rome: Total War or Empire Earth II. Very fun game with a unique system of play.

Will you save the galaxy as the Rebels as in the movies? Or will you change the fate of the galaxy by taking it over as the Empire?

You in some battles will be expected to fight on the ground and build a variety of different troops. Battling with the help of the local population (and maybe even a small hero from a local Cantina!) or in your effort to destroy the galaxy destroy both of them and take the planet for you alone. The other method of play is space battle which would have to be my personal favorite. The space battles do not have a whole lot of contruction to it. You build units at another planet then send them to attack a planet that may have a space station with a few star destroyer or even the death star. Heh now that machine is fun =)

Pros
-Grahpic are very good and there is another fun and a little bonus is a button called movie mode where you will be able to view your battles from a perspective a movie might be. Very unique.
-Methods of fighting in game that are somewhat unique. Retreat, call reinforcement (when you press this a small bar will appear on the side of your screen showing what reinforcements your are able to summon to your aid) which does have a type of population cap on it, bombing run (if you have bombers above the planet), and various other specials that ships and vehicles have
-Gameplay will last a long time with all of the different planets to conquer or destroy at your leisure.
Cons
-i thought movement was a bit sluggish from the units but maybe its just me
-Not really too much of a story line considering we all know whats going to happen lol.

Overall one of the most fun games i've played and bougt in awhile. A+ material.

At long last...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: March 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

As a hardcore Star Wars fan, and an equally hardcore real time strategy (RTS) player, I have been yearning for a good Star Wars game that would fulfill both these aspects. Finally, after along and excruciatingly frustrating journey, it is here.

A few years back, a game called "Rebellion" was released by LucasArts. It was so bad that it's not even available from most online vendors anymore (including this one). I think they, like most players, would rather forget it even existed. This was the first Star Wars game to have (some) real time strategy elements.

Then came Force Commander. The game looked like a dream come true, and I was really excited about it. Just the idea of being able to command AT-ATs was enough to get me drooling. To make a long story short, Force Commander likewise bombed- severe technical issues, dated graphics and design, and poor execution were its hallmarks.

Then came Galactic Battlegrounds. I enjoyed GB more than any of the predecessors, but then again I really liked Age of Empires 2 as well. The only significant difference between the two games was the addition of flying units. Though this was a marked improvement over the previous two games, it still lacked space combat and the single play campaign was a decidedly lackluster redux of Age of Kings.

Note that Galactic Battlegrounds was actually not an original LucasArts product. At around this time, LucasArts realized their in-house development just wasn't working, and started to contract it out (Jedi Outcast is another superb example of the result of this strategy). Petroglyph, which includes developers that worked on the Command & Conquer series, received the task of developing the next Star Wars RTS. That alone gave me reason to hope that this time they would get it right.

And they did. For those that have played Rome: Total War, Empire at War shares more with it than one word in the game title. Though the number of units available is far smaller, and the strategic aspect much simpler, Empire at War includes the best features of that other excellent strategy game. You are placed in command of either the Empire or the Rebel Alliance, and must fight for control of the galaxy. Your enemy will spare no expense to take you down, and so you'll be just as busy defending your hard-won turf as you will be attacking.

Though there aren't many units available, there are heroes that significantly influence the course of battles and the war in general. Each hero has unique traits and abilities- for example, Darth Vader shows up in his TIE fighter in space battles and can call for wingmen, and on the ground can crush vehicles or send enemy troops flying. The various ships and ground forces you can build have specific strengths and weaknesses- all of which are clearly referenced if you're not the sort that likes to memorize these. Many units have special abilities that can significantly alter the course of a battle if used properly.

The game's resource model is an interesting departure from convention. You gather credits by holding planets, some of which provide more than others, and all of which can provide extra income via mining. You can also steal credits from the other side by deploying smugglers. These are then used to produce ships and troops at your bases.

When you attack or defend a planet, you do so only with the troops you have in place. You can only collect resources and buy units by capturing special neutral buildings, which aren't always available. You can only have a certain number of units on the tactical map at any time, but can call for reinforcements- if available- if you lose some or increase the unit cap (e.g. by capturing a strategic point). Some structures and units, such as space stations and Star Destroyers, have a garrison that auto-replenishes over time if they're destroyed. These can be extremely valuable in a long fight, so protecting such units can be vital to winning a battle.

Fighter and ground units have several vehicles/soldiers per squad, and move and act as a team. Losing the whole squad results in its elimination, but if even one vehicle or soldier survives, the unit is restored at the end of a battle. Capital ships and space stations have 'hardpoints' such as engines, laser batteries, and torpedo launchers. These can be individually targeted and destroyed, resulting in the loss of that capability. In all battles where you are the defender, you can purchase upgrades. If you're the attacker, you can also do so if you find a mercenary outfitter.

There are other numerous advantages and disadvantages for either an attacker or defender. For example, in space combat a defender with an ion cannon or hypervelocity gun in place on the planet's surface can use it to shoot at enemy capital ships. An attacker can also call down bombers in ground battles if they have them in a fleet at that planet.

Additionally, each faction has its strengths and weaknesses. The Empire tends to be very strong in space since its larger capital ships garrison fighters and are generally better armed. The Rebel Alliance, on the other hand, can sneak troops past Imperial fleets with a raid, which can negate this advantage. In particular, the units available to each faction are extremely distinctive- not the typical clones you expect in a standard RTS. This is both realistic and fun, and the fact that the game remains well balanced despite the differences is a testament to the developer's expertise in this area.

Skirmish mode and multiplay are available, and multiplay does include the galactic campaign in head-to-head. This is remarkable, since even the excellent Total War series didn't allow the strategic aspect to go online.

The game's graphics are of superior quality, and it runs well on my very average PC. It might take a dream machine to run everything on highest detail, but such settings aren't necessary to make the game a fine cinematic experience. I haven't been able to find any technical issues yet, though some patches have been released.

In summary, I can't be more pleased with Empire at War. It really is a dream come true, and was totally worth the wait. The game is challenging, immersive, gorgeous, and Star Wars down to the last pixel. As a strategy game alone it is a fine piece of work, and as Star Wars it is the final word in the genre.

Epicness like no other Star Wars game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: April 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

A great Star Wars game, where you manage and deploy the armies of either the Empire or the Rebellion.

Fans of the films and expanded universe will love to wage war on over 40 space and planet-based maps, whether that may be in the urban depths of Coruscant, the icy landscape of Hoth or the vast plains of Naboo- everywhere is different and has its own advantages. On top of that, planet natives fight for your cause depending on what faction you are playing as. For example, when the Rebellion is battling on the forested Kashyyyk, the Wookiee natives take up arms and fight along side you against the Empire or Pirate minorities. All the war vehicles from the films are controllable too. These include impressive Star Destroyers, AT-STs, swift A-Wings, Snowspeeders, the lumbering AT-ATs and even the Death Star itself which can obliterate an entire planet.

It is also good to see all your favourite heroes/villains in action, like Han & Chewbacca, the Emperor, Obi-Wan, Red Squadron, Boba Fett and of course Darth Vader, each with their own special abilities. An example is the Emperor's force lightning which can dispatch whole platoons of Rebel infantry.

In Empire at War, the graphics are well done and this game is very faithful to the Star Wars films and back-stories. The controls are easy to learn as the tutorials are reasonably helpful, covering all aspects of gameplay. Also this game doesn't spend too much time on all that resource managing which some other games of this genre sometimes tend to. In Empire at War you simply construct mining buildings on resource-rich planets like Coruscant or Kessel and you're away!

Overall this is excellent, but it is annoying that there is a limit to how many forces you may deploy on a planet and in space. However, the epicness is still there, especially when you can control massive Star Destroyer fleets or the Rebellion's equally impressive Mon Cal Cruisers.

jimbob#1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game was awesome. I like the ability to play in many different battles and arenas. The game makes you build up your forces, and yet try fend off the enemy while doing so. When you invade either space or land, the only forces you get are the ones you bring with you. So if you don't have a big enough force, then you better be prepared to retreat. I like the fact that you get to use the Death Star. If you play as the Empire and build the Death Star before the Rebels defeat you, there is no chance for the Rebels. Basically as long as you have a large enough space fleet to protect the Death Star, you will win the game. As the Rebels, you feel the stuggle for survival in the Empire controled galaxy. The Rebel campaine is very hard, even in the easy mode, but winable. Unlike when you start the Empire campaign, the Rebels have very little as far as a fleet goes. You have scronge for ships and troops. I had to play and loss many time before I figured out how to beat the empire. It took a a lot patience and time. The one thing about this game is that sucks you in and before you know it, hours of play have gone by. I would have rate this game as one of the best Star Wars Game, if not the best games of all. I am big fan of both Battlefront games, but this one takes the cake. I would recommend this game to everyone who likes stragegy type of games. I give it a five star rating for fun, difficulty, length of play, and the many different battle arenas both space and land.

Really, really fun game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: March 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game a few months ago, and I play it almost every day. I first want to mention that if you are a star wars fan, then this game is deffinately for you. There are many units to command in both space and land modes. The only bad thing is that when you first buy the game, all of the units are WAY out of scale. But you can fix this by just going to google and searching "empire at war mods". There are some really great modifications that make the game way better, so you might want to check those out after you buy the game.It's an excellent game.

Empire at War is Pure Fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: July 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The game is great. I agree with a lot of what most say that LucasArts finally had a developer (Petroglyph) create a Real Time game in the Star Wars universe worth playing. The first attempt Rebellion was a lack luster game. It was good but not great. The replay factor was small, where as this game is so good, not only with the graphics but with the lack of micro management that can happen a lot with most real time games. Galactic Battlegrounds I felt I was playing Age of Empires, not real exciting, somewhat boring.

The strategy in EAW is excellent, with reinforcements, bombing runs, a cool planetary resource system and good unit balance. Battles in space are just epic and with cinematic camera you are part of the action. Graphics are very detailed especially with a good video card. The story mode is great and spans 43 planets. They also have a fun skirmish and multiplayer mode. BTW these modes ROCK! This is the only RTS I know that has a team multiplayer mode that really caters to team play. I would recommend Empire at War to every SW fan or any RTS player.

With the new expansion Forces of Corruption due out in the next few months, this game is only going to get 10x better.

Empire at War? way better than galactic battlegrounds.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: January 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Alright this game is fricken awesome! You can live battles and command your units on land or space and across the galaxy. The campaigns are fairly fun and you can build up space and ground forces on planets. Each planet will give you more credits (a.k.a.) money every galactic day. In the campaigns you can play as the rebels of the empire. Both sides are very fun.In galactic conquest and in the campaign for the empire after you build it a legendary battle station the size of a moon will be in your command. THE DEATH STAR!!! You can destroy planets with the death star. If you're in a space battle with it you have to fight off the enemy until the death star is in range of the planet. Once it's in range you can fire the weapon and watch the fireworks. You can also do skirmish battles on land and space. The online is very fun and most of them are pretty nice people.
The servers aren't too bad and are very fun. All in all Go and buy this game you can get the Best of PC pack which has this game and it has battlefront 1 jedi outcast Knights of the old republic and republic commando. it costs $40. This game would be a very great christmas gift new years gift birthday gift etc.

Pros-
. good graphics
. fun to play
. you can use star destroyers
. It's star wars
. there are no cons!

I love this game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: March 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I find most computer games seem to be designed for the hardcore gamer and are just too hard to play. I think they should have more games for the rest of us and a super easy setting. I like space games that are like an interactive movie. This reminds me of my favorite real time strategy "Homeworld" (the first two).

In addition to the scripted Campaign one is able to play quite a few free form campaigns.

I really love this game and expect to enjoy it for months. I wish they would make more like it.

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